GELFAND’S WORLD - I told the publisher of CityWatch that I wouldn't be doing a column for Thursday because I was going to the LA Opera to hear Wagner's Tannhauser, and it wouldn't be over until 11:30 at night. So unless Tannhauser was that good, you wouldn't be hearing from me. 

GELFAND’S WORLD - I'm going to start this a little differently than usual. I'm simply going to quote the law. 

GELFAND’S WORLD - George Orwell already said it: "Sometimes the first duty of intelligent men is the restatement of the obvious." 

GELFAND’S WORLD - A few days ago, I shared with you my experience of being asked for proof of vaccination while buying a hamburger at a McDonalds in Frankfurt, Germany.

GELFAND’S WORLD - I just got back from a trip to Europe. There were several lessons to be learned, first regarding the difficulties of travel in this era of the Covid-19 epidemic. 

GELFAND'S WORLD - A substantial number of Republican voters are convinced that the presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump.

GELFAND'S WORLD - Well, that election is now over, and instead of the subject of deep thought, it turned out to be a joke.

GELFAND’S WORLD - It's suddenly become the most common cliche on television or the internet. We are presented with a sick -- most likely dying -- man in a hospital bed or perhaps a wheelchair, and some sonorous announcer asks him if he regrets not getting the Covid-19 vaccine.

GELFAND’S WORLD - The Republicans want to turn California into Florida. The first way is to turn us into a Covid-19 pesthole. We're speaking of Larry Elder, who promises to abolish vaccine and mask requirements.

GELFAND'S WORLD - There is an old cult movie called Red Dawn. The United States wakes up to find that it has been taken over by the Russian army.

GELFAND'S WORLD - A few days ago, I added a comment to a CityWatch article written by somebody else. The article was a somewhat sympathetic take on getting past vaccine hesitancy.